Hacking So I think I've corrupted most of my retail game saves.

[yoshinatsu]

Hey guys.

I was among the people who only recently got a Gateway, with 3.0 "Ultra" version which made it compatible with firmwares up to 9.2. Now, I had quite a few retail games before that, two of them being Pokemon Y and Omega Ruby. The whole save game thing, 6.x encryptions, Card 2, and savedatafiler were all pretty confusing to me at first, until I read more about it. But BEFORE learning about all that, I had tried dumping my all save games, including the two Pokemon games, via the Gateway menu... Sure enough, an error popped up for those two, as they both are Card2 games, informing me that their save files could not be dumped.

Fast forward a a few days later, I've downgraded to 4.5, set up my 9.4 emuNAND, thinking I was all set to play both game backups, and retail cartridges. So this time, I wanted to play a retail game, so I boot into Classic Mode, which I always thought was the way to run your retail games once you have set up an emuNAND.
I insert Omega Ruby... "Your save file is corrupted". I insert Smash Bros... "Your save file is corrupted"...
At this point, I'm too scared to even insert any other games, like Pokemon Y and Bravely Default, that I have MANY MANY hours logged. Even though I think I've already corrupted all of them... Somehow.

So... would there be any way to restore any of those save files, or am I done for good? I might as well sell all my cartridges at this point...
Note that I had ripped all my games (including the Card2 ones) before trying to play them on Classic Mode. I tried playing my Omega Ruby rip on GW Mode (since I've read that Card2 saves are stored on the .3ds files), but the save file was corrupted there as well. Do I have to rename it to .3dz for my save file to be read?

...what do?

 

[mvmiranda]

That "save corrupted" massage happens because the encryption keys between 4.X and 7.X+ changed, so the console cannot "decrypt" your save properly. As long as you don't create another save inside the cart your original save will remain there.

Your only option is to "upgrade" your 4.5 sysNAND back to 7.X+ (with a backup you should have taken or using a Pokemon X/Y or Super Smash Bros original cart).

Unfortunately there's no other option at the moment.

Cheers!

 

[bache]

If you were to upgrade back to 9.X, you'd be able to access your saves in sysNAND. You cannot access >7.X in Classic mode using 4.5, unless the save was created while in Classic mode.

Your retail cartridge saves aren't corrupt, just incompatible.

 

[yoshinatsu]

If you were to upgrade back to 9.X, you'd be able to access your saves in sysNAND. You cannot access >7.X in Classic mode using 4.5, unless the save was created while in Classic mode.

Your retail cartridge saves aren't corrupt, just incompatible.

That "save corrupted" massage happens because the encryption keys between 4.X and 7.X+ changed, so the console cannot "decrypt" your save properly. As long as you don't create another save inside the cart your original save will remain there.

Your only option is to "upgrade" your 4.5 sysNAND back to 7.X+ (with a backup you should have taken or using a Pokemon X/Y or Super Smash Bros original cart).

Unfortunately there's no other option at the moment.

Cheers!

Thank you guys for the info!! I'm relieved my save files aren't really corrupted, and I didn't overwrite them!
I've kept a backup of my 9.2 sysNAND, so reverting to it would be easy through the GW menu I guess?

Though is there any way to at least backup the Pokemon saves without updating my sysNAND?
Or even if I updated, how would I even backup their save files?

 

[mvmiranda]

Thank you guys for the info!! I'm relieved my save files aren't really corrupted, and I didn't overwrite them!
Any way to at least backup the Pokemon saves without updating my sysNAND?
Or even if I updated, how would I even backup their save files?

You can backup your cart saves using the Gateway Menu (boot gateway exploit while holding the L button).

 

[yoshinatsu]

You can backup your cart saves using the Gateway Menu (boot gateway exploit while holding the L button).

That won't work for the Pokemon games. They are Card 2.

 

[mvmiranda]

That won't work for the Pokemon games. They are Card 2.

Right
He'd need a power saver, right?!

 

[yoshinatsu]

Right
He'd need a power saver, right?!

There's a way to extract Card 2 save files through a 3DS application called savedatafiler.
But it's a .cia application, and I don't know how I could install a .cia file on sysNAND.

 

[mvmiranda]

There's a way to extract Card 2 save files through a 3DS application called savedatafiler.
But it's a .cia application, and I don't know how I could install a .cia file on sysNAND.

I don't get it...
Why would you need to install savedatafiler on sysNAND?
Can't you install it on emuNAND, boot classec mode and then dump the cart save?

 

[yoshinatsu]

I don't get it...
Why would you need to install savedatafiler on sysNAND?
Can't you install it on emuNAND, boot classec mode and then dump the cart save?

Didn't you say the save files are not readable on emuNAND?
I've already tried doing this, but savedatafiler can't read the cartridge's save file.
Or maybe I have some crappy version of savedatafiler. Not sure where to find the latest proper one.

 

[_eyCaRambA_]

I don't get it...
Why would you need to install savedatafiler on sysNAND?
Can't you install it on emuNAND, boot classec mode and then dump the cart save?

Nah, SDF doesn't work in Classic Mode unfortunately.

 

[mvmiranda]

Nah, SDF doesn't work in Classic Mode unfortunately.

There you go...

yoshinatsu I guess you'll need power saver dongle, then :/

 

[FearItSelf23]

Didn't you say the save files are not readable on emuNAND?
I've already tried doing this, but savedatafiler can't read the cartridge's save file.
Or maybe I have some crappy version of savedatafiler. Not sure where to find the latest proper one.

No the reason it wouldn't work before is because your sysnand was 4.x. The key used during save encryption is loaded at console boot so even with a 9.x emunand your 3ds had the 4.x encryption key loaded and that key obviously can't decrypt a save encrypted with the 9.x key. Now that your 3ds sysnand is 9.x it will load the correct key and should be able to decrypt on the emunan .

 

[Arkansaw]

what's preventing emunand from using the new encryption anyway?

 

[FearItSelf23]

what's preventing emunand from using the new encryption anyway?

The encryption is based on the fw you boot your system with. If you are on 4.x your emunand will not have access to the new encryption key. Until Gateway 3.0 you had to be on 4.x so you could never use the new encryption keys. Now we can because we have 9.2 support.

 

[thorasgar]

what's preventing emunand from using the new encryption anyway?

The developers of gateway, have not implemented that functionality yet.

 

[yoshinatsu]

Well, I'm willing to get one of those "power save dongles", as long as it works properly for 4 of my games.
Namely, Pokemon Y, Omega Ruby, Bravely Default, and Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate. Any suggestions?

 

[Bigbones87]

So, my wife's omega ruby game save is corrupt all of a sudden. From what I have read, it has to do with sysnand? The thing is, I am on 4.0 firmware and have always been on this firmware. I have updated the emunand to 9.2, but my Pokemon x game save works fine. Any ideas?

 

[The Real Jdbye]

So, my wife's omega ruby game save is corrupt all of a sudden. From what I have read, it has to do with sysnand? The thing is, I am on 4.0 firmware and have always been on this firmware. I have updated the emunand to 9.2, but my Pokemon x game save works fine. Any ideas?

She's playing on the same 3DS? And the game has always been played on that 3DS?
Not sure what could be wrong if that's the case. Seems like it might have just been random, there's not much you can do about it then.

 

[Bigbones87]

She's playing on the same 3DS? And the game has always been played on that 3DS?
Not sure what could be wrong if that's the case. Seems like it might have just been random, there's not much you can do about it then.

Yes. She has always and only played it on this 3ds, as rom not retail. She has around 150 hours in it, and then all of a sudden it doesn't load now. Not sure if last time she loaded it was before or after an emunand an red card update, but for whatever reason, it is useless now because of decryption issues I guess? No way to decrypt it and re encrypt it with higher firmware or whatever? Sorry I'm a noob at all this.